Prayer for the Day

by Revd Canon David White

22nd February 2026 - 1st Sunday of Lent

Forgive me, Lord, for a mind
that turns so readily to weigh my troubles,
so seldom to count my blessings.
Teach me the practice of recollection,
the habit of thankfulness,
the art of praise.
And may I deal as generously with others
as you deal with me.
For Christ’s sake. Amen.

This season of Lent is a time of self-examination and reflection, for us to be deadly serious about our sins and shortcomings, all of which we offer to God. These may well be our ‘troubles’ referred to in this prayer. Having weighed our ‘troubles’, Lent also provides us with the space for repentance and for allowing God’s loving mercy to take effect in his forgiveness. Lent is a time for being reconciled to God, to ourselves and, if it is necessary, to others too.

However, as this prayer makes clear, our ‘troubles’ are just one side of the coin. Jesus was always concerned with making people whole, as the Bible puts it. We also have to give due consideration to those things and matters for which we have to be grateful and ‘count our blessings’. As the old hymn goes: ‘Count your blessings, count them one by one, and it will surprise you what the Lord hath done’. Bishop Timothy Dudley-Smith, who died in 2024 was not only a prolific writer of hymns and prayers, he was also very perceptive of the human condition. This prayer asks that God teach us ‘a spirit of recollection’ by which we can see the full picture and lead us to balance our ‘troubles’ with thankfulness, praise and generosity.